1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer mediated entertainment content. More particularly, the present invention relates to customizing audio entertainment content.
2. Background Art
The movie industry long ago recognized that a primarily visual sensory experience can be altered and enhanced by an accompanying audio soundtrack, edited to correspond to and complement the presentation of the visual imagery. Some of the most iconic cinematic images are rendered so unforgettable at least in part because of the dramatic tension produced by the sounds leading up to the visual presentation. For example, an otherwise serene ocean in the movie Jaws is made terrifying by the simple but ominous double beat rhythm introducing the shark. Evoking inexorable dread, the audio track prepares viewers for the image—made searing through its heightened anticipation—of the leviathan's appearance.
It is not only the perception of visual stimuli that is altered by an accompanying soundtrack, however. The sensations associated with physical activity are susceptible to the effects of audio accompaniment as well. High energy, syncopated rhythms, for example, are purposefully incorporated into audio accompaniments to exercise sessions, enlivening otherwise routine and repetitive physical movements, and even causing exercise participants to voluntarily increase the tempo of their exercise efforts. In another setting, inspiring or emotionally evocative music may be used by endurance athletes to delay the dispiriting effects of muscle fatigue, allowing those athletes to intensify their efforts or to ward off the symptoms of physical exhaustion. Audio enhancements are utilized in the context of physically interactive entertainment venues as well. What parade or political rally, for instance, is not made bolder and more dramatic as a result of the unrelenting enthusiasm of an accompanying band.
Despite the power of audio accompaniment to enhance an activity or experience, the enhancement provided may be a qualified one where listeners are limited to an audio soundtrack selected for presentation to a general audience, and over which they have little or no control as individual listeners. This is indeed the conventional approach to providing audio accompaniment, as may be seen from a visit to a movie theater, sporting event, parade, or exercise studio, where a venue wide sound system typically delivers the same audio selections to everyone present.
An example of the conventional approach is provided by FIG. 1, which adopts an exemplary theme park environment for reference. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional audio presentation accompanying a theme park ride, in this instance, a rollercoaster. As shown in FIG. 1, theme park ride 100 comprises rollercoaster 110 and rollercoaster sound system 120 providing audio accompaniment to the rollercoaster ride. Rollercoaster 110 includes rollercoaster train 112 carrying riders through distinct ride events, such as launch event 114, curve event 116, and finale event 118. A shared audio experience is provided by rollercoaster sound system 120, which includes audio speakers 122a and 122b located along the path of the rollercoaster ride. Audio speakers 122a and 122b may be utilized to broadcast an audio accompaniment to the rollercoaster ride that corresponds in theme and duration to the events of the ride. Rollercoaster sound system 120 may be used to provide an audio presentation that starts with the beginning of the rollercoaster ride, and ends with the end of the ride.
An exciting audio segment may be selected for presentation during a pre-launch interval, for example, or be timed to coincide with launch event 114. Another audio segment, perhaps including sounds of screaming, may be selected for presentation when rollercoaster train 112 approaches curve event 116, while yet another audio segment having a reduced tempo may be presented during finale event 118, preparing rollercoaster train passengers for transition out of the rollercoaster environment. The approach shown in FIG. 1, however, results in a generic audio experience for the individual riders of rollercoaster 110, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the audio presentation as a ride enhancement.
As personal experience can readily confirm, the psychological impact of an audio effect may be quite personal. For example, different individuals possess different tolerances for stress and stimulation, so that an audio effect providing a pleasurable level of excitement for one listener, may make another unpleasantly uneasy. Similarly, variations in age and aesthetic sensibility may shape an individual response to a musical selection. Where one person may find the music of one of the great romantic composers like Brahms, Rachmaninoff, or Wagner, to be emotionally evocative and enjoyable, another listener may be put off by those selections, preferring the contemporary excitement of Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, or an artist from entirely different musical genre.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a solution enabling an individual to personalize an audio accompaniment to a ride or event in order to enhance their own enjoyment of that experience.